Lu Feifei

The Martial Arts Alliance's service hall buzzed with voices, lively and crowded.

The moment Li Wei stepped inside, she was like a magnet dropped into a pile of iron filings—whoosh, every gaze around her was drawn over.

Some were dazzled, some curious, and some downright disgusting.

She steadied herself, ignored those stares, quickened her pace, and followed the signs toward the service area.

As she passed an open waiting area, a burst of young people's laughter and chatter drifted over.

Li Wei turned and swept her gaze over it, spotting a group of teenage boys and girls in martial arts uniforms or casual clothes gathered together, chattering away.

A banner had been hung beside them, reading—"Tengxiang Martial Arts University Freshman Representative Team, All..."

The latter half was still rolled up, making the rest impossible to see.

Among the crowd was a girl with a high ponytail and rather refined makeup. Her features looked somewhat familiar.

Li Wei's steps paused.

She hurriedly searched through the original owner's memories, and quickly matched the face—Lu Feifei!

The original owner's high school deskmate, and the person Li Wei had called for help the moment she realized she had no way to contact Cheng Hao.

Remembering the barbed, sarcastic way this girl had spoken back then, Li Wei still felt a little annoyed.

But on second thought, Lu Feifei had sent her the number in the end. She had helped after all. There was no need to hold it against her; if anything, Li Wei ought to thank her.

Subconsciously, she wanted to raise a hand and greet this "old classmate."

But the instant her hand moved, she shuddered and abruptly came to her senses!

Fuck! I almost forgot! I'm Jiang Xue now! Jiang Xue!

Then she recalled Liang Qiushi's nervous look during lunch, as though she were terrified that walls had ears...

For no reason at all, Li Wei felt a chill crawl over her skin, as if several pairs of eyes really were watching her from the shadows.

She quickly withdrew her gaze, straightened her back, and walked straight past that group of boys and girls without even looking their way.

But with her charm, it was impossible not to draw attention.

The previously boisterous group of young people fell silent in unspoken unison.

The boys in particular had their Eyeballs practically glued to her.

Lu Feifei stared blankly at the girl walking past them, beautiful to the point of seeming unreal.

For no apparent reason, her heart clenched. It felt as if something had struck her head with a dull blow, leaving a faint ache behind.

So familiar... this profile... Where had she seen it before?

Who was she? Who?!

She tried desperately to remember, but her mind seemed shrouded in fog, unable to turn.

That name was clearly on the tip of her tongue, yet it was stuck there, impossible to spit out. The frustration nearly made sweat break out at her temples.

A girl beside her with neat short hair saw her looking as though her soul had left her body. She lightly nudged Lu Feifei with her elbow and teased in a lowered voice:

"Feifei, did you get dumbstruck? Did she steal your soul? Tsk tsk, who would've thought you were into this?"

The nudge jolted Lu Feifei back to herself, but her eyes were still dazed, filled with deep confusion.

She shook her head hard, her voice drifting as she muttered:

"No... I just feel like... I might know her... She feels really familiar..."

The moment the nearby boys heard that, they immediately crowded around her, firing questions one after another:

"Feifei, do you really know that gorgeous beauty from just now?"

"Come on, tell us! Who is she? What school is she from? What's her name?"

Their noise made Lu Feifei's headache worsen. She waved them off impatiently. "I don't know! Stop asking!"

Li Wei had no idea how much trouble she had caused her old classmate.

If you can't find a book by its title, try searching for the author—it may have simply been renamed!

She made her way to the entrance of the service area, swiped Jiang Xue's ID card at a self-service ticket machine, and received a queue number.

After glancing over the bustling hall, she found the most secluded spot with the fewest people, sat down, and casually opened her system panel.

Vitality and Blood (Special Effect: Purification): 500.3/500.3 (1 Essence replenishes 100 Vitality and Blood)

Mind Method: "Great Yin Jade Lotus Treasure Scroll" One Lotus Petal 5003/10000(+); Omitted

It had only risen by two points after cultivating last night? Was that fast or slow?

She thought it over. It seemed like she had fallen asleep in the middle of cultivating? How long had she practiced for, exactly?

Fuck, she'd forgotten...

Sigh, it was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality... After experiencing that soaring sensation of adding points, who could still patiently endure bitter cultivation on their own...

She curled her lip, but her eyes gradually lit up. Little Great Yin, once Daddy finishes registering as a martial artist, I'll go farm Essence and feed you till you're full!

Once all nine lotus petals bloom, we'll ascend straight to Martial Immortality and dominate the world! Wahahaha~

Only when she snapped out of her daydream did she realize, belatedly, that the empty seats around her had somehow been "occupied" by a group of male martial artists.

Each of them sat ramrod straight, their expressions stern to the extreme.

Some pretended to look at their phones, while others seriously discussed things like "insights into the martial path."

But the furtive glances they kept shooting her way, along with their overly stiff postures, had long since betrayed their little schemes.

Tch, men... They ogled pretty girls exactly the way I used to back then.

Li Wei rolled her eyes inwardly, taking the opportunity to disdain her former self as well.

"Please proceed to Counter Three, number A437."

A crisp electronic announcement rang out. It was exactly the number in Li Wei's hand.

Her spirits lifted, and she immediately got up, striding quickly toward the designated counter amid a mixture of amazed and regretful gazes.

"Hello, I'd like to register for the First Order martial artist qualification assessment." She passed Jiang Xue's ID card through the window.

Behind the counter sat a capable-looking young woman. She took the ID and rapidly entered the information.

"Unarmed or weapon test?"

"Weapon. I use a sword."

"The standard test weapon rental is 500, the assessment fee is 998, for a total of 1,498. Scan the code."

Li Wei hurriedly paid. She was currently using Jiang Xue's SpiritLink account, and there were more than a hundred thousand in the wallet balance.

Very soon, a card bearing a number and barcode, along with the ID card, was passed out through the window.

"Take this and wait in the assessment area inside until your number is called." The young staffer looked up and gave the routine instructions.

Li Wei put away both cards and said, "Thank you," just as she rose to leave.

"Um... Miss!" The young woman behind the counter suddenly called out to her. She looked a little embarrassed, but the light in her eyes was practically bursting forth. "Sorry to ask, but your skin is unbelievably good! What skincare products do you usually use?"

Li Wei stumbled, nearly putting on a live demonstration of tripping over flat ground.

No, wasn't a counter worker in a novel supposed to be shocked by the protagonist's age and strength, then shower them with a wave of emotional validation?

Why was everyone concerned with my looks instead?

Facing the staffer's sparkling, curiosity-filled eyes, Li Wei's cheek twitched.

She fell silent for a moment, then forced out, "Born with it."

Then she fled without looking back.

Because too many gazes in the lobby were focused on her, her perception was disrupted. She failed to notice that not far behind her, Lu Feifei's eyes had remained fixed on her.

This old classmate's eyes were filled with confusion and searching, as though she was just about to recall something important—only for something else to press it down with all its might.

Who exactly was she?